Statue for first Olympian from Kerala

Kannur, Jul 28: A statue of the first athelete from Kerala, C K Lakshmanan, who took part in Olympics will be erected in front of the Jawahar Minicipal Stadium here on August 5.

Talking to newspersons here, General Convener, M T Karunakaran said the statue would be installed by the Football Friends Free Coaching Centre (FFFCC). Lakshmanan was in a eight-member Indian squad that represented the country at the Paris Olympics in 1924. He was also the first person from Kerala to represent India at 120-yard hurdles in Olympics.

He won a gold medal at the first National Athletic meet in New Delhi in 1924 and found a berth in the squad for the Olympics.

Lakshmanan has also served the Army as a Major-General and also as the Director-General of Health Service during the British regime.

UNI